Happy 8 Retreat Cafe is the cafe within the Happy 8 Retreat Boutique Hotel in Old Town Ipoh that is designed with retreat and nature in mind where you can fall back and relax in forest-like tranquility. Before you enter the cafe, you are welcomed by Happy 8’s mascot which is a green and queer creature painted on the floor. The cafe has a back-to-basics feel with the use of wood elements like gigantic nest and little wooden cubes dangling on the ceilings. The cafe is a wonderful place to explore because a good portion of the cafe is hidden beyond the reception counter. The long corridor that leads you from the reception counter to the back of the cafe is a pleasant walk decorated with beautiful plants in stony pots, wooden walls and exotic masks.

The Happy 8 Retreat occupies a three storey beautifully restored corner shop house along Market Street in the heart of Ipoh Old Town, conveniently located within a delightful enclave of heritage sites, shops, restaurants, pubs, galleries and financial districts are all within a stone's throw from the Retreat.

Magical, whimsical, stunning, creative, and certainly Happy, are words that come to mind when one is called upon to describe the Happy 8 retreat cafe in Ipoh. Even these descriptions fail to convey the sense of awe and wonderment I felt on arriving in Ipoh in search of the Happy 8 Retreat.

Only pictures can convey to the reader how winsome and appealing these individual pieces of art and design are, calling for attention from the moment one steps through the portals of Happy 8 Retreat Cafe.

The decor at Happy 8 Retreat is totally eclectic, with everything hand hewn, etched, carved, painted and created with great care and attention. And it all pulls together. Not a single item feels out of place; every eccentricity charming and whimsical and every piece tells a story.

Visitors and guests can spend hours just looking, touching and feeling the ambiance of this hospitality charmer, sitting right smack in the middle of Old Town Ipoh. And to top off the experience, to sit in the cafe and sample the many delectable sweet and savoury treats on offer.